High efficient chalcogenide thin film devices for solar-to-fuel conversion

• Grant number: 20/09000-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2020
• End date: September 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales
• Grantee: Arthur Corrado Salomão
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increased world energy consumption and the environmental issues caused by exhaustive use of fossil fuel reiterate the need for developing a clean, renewable and economically viable energy alternative. The advantage of using hydrogen as fuel is based on its combustion without emitting pollutant gases in the atmosphere. The photoelectrochemical water reduction process is considered an interesting process because the photon energy is used to split the water to produce H2. A good photocatalyst used in this reaction must present good physical and chemical stability, low-cost production, low electron-hole recombination rate, and be abundant on Earth crust. Platinum is the most efficient catalyst for this reaction; however, it is an expensive and low abundant material, which makes its industrial application extremely limited. Ternary and quaternary chalcogenides are applied as absorber layers in highly efficient solar cells and they can be also applied to solar-to-hydrogen conversion. Chalcogenides photocathodes (chalcopyrite and kesterita) applied to hydrogen generation, typically are comprised by a CdS layer on the p-type semiconductor resulting in a p-n junction and it contributes to an efficient charge separation. Recently, MoS2 have been reported as a possible candidate to substitute CdS and Pt. Therefore, this proposal aims to develop and characterize chalcopyrite (CuInSe2 e CuInGaSe2) and kesterite (Cu2ZnSNSe4) containg a buffer layer formed by MoS2 and WS2, and the ones doped with Cu, Ni and Co. The films will be characterized by UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy. The efficiency of the materials wil be electrochemically evaluated by Tafel plots to determine overpotential and current density. The proposed materials for photocathodes will studied for the water reduction catalytic reaction for hydrogen evolution using a photoelectrochemical system. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SALOMAO, ARTHUR CORRADO; DOS SANTOS ARAUJO, MILENY; DOS SANTOS, HUGO LEANDRO SOUSA; MEDINA, MARINA; MASCARO, LUCIA HELENA; ANDRADE JUNIOR, MARCOS ANTONIO SANTANA. owards Highly Efficient Chalcopyrite Photocathodes for Water Splitting: The Use of Cocatalysts beyond P. CHEMSUSCHEM, v. 14, n. 21, SEP 2021. (19/26860-2, 17/15144-9, 13/07296-2, 20/09000-7, 17/12794-2, 17/11986-5, 14/50249-8)

ARAUJO, MILENY DOS SANTOS; DOS SANTOS, HUGO LEANDRO SOUSA; MEDINA, MARINA; SALOMAO, ARTHUR CORRADO; MASCARO, LUCIA HELENA; ANDRADE JUNIOR, MARCOS ANTONIO SANTANA. Vanquishing CZTSSe deep defects to enhance photoelectrocatalytic water splitting. Electrochimica Acta, v. 464, p. 7-pg., 2023-10-01. (17/15144-9, 17/11986-5, 19/26860-2, 14/50249-8, 13/07296-2, 17/12794-2, 20/09000-7)